It’s been exactly six weeks since Plan Check sprung its doors open to Little Osaka, and even through the sporadic downpour of the last few weeks, the place has stayed packed. Today, owner Terry Heller tells us he feels, “we’re just starting to hit our stride,” with chef Uchimura introducing new specials while signature dishes have been tweaked to the team’s ultimate satisfaction. While Heller didn’t overlook coffee service, he says he underestimated “the big demand for coffee” that would arise at his restaurant, pushing his partners and he to “put a ton of research” into providing a new supplier.
While the signature move of hip new restaurants like his is to bring in Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle, Stumptown, or as of late, Handsome Coffee Roasters, Heller found his supply much closer to home, at our own favorite caffeine fix, Coffee Tomo, housed down the street, just off Sawtelle.
Most likely starting today or tomorrow (once the restaurant exhausts its previous supply), Plan Check is bringing Tomo in as the official supplier and designer of its new coffee program. Heller says he’s always been a big fan of the upstart coffee shop and after learning the back story behind Kibum Sung’s shop**, only became “more intrigued,” leading to this sound decision that conveys both businesses’ “neighborhood-forward” approach while also stoking fans on the superior, Sawtelle-roasted beans.
**This post was updated to reflect that Tommy Kim, who helped open Tomo, is no longer with the business, which is owned solely by Sung.
